Read the arguments from Bleacher Fan and Loyal Homer about which Heisman Trophy voting approach is best and which player will win the 2009 version of the award.
As we all know, there are a few different types of Heisman voters. The first type of Heisman voter is the “season” voter. The season voter reviews only a player’s performance over the course of a single season, taking into account every performance in every game. The season voter perspective is contributed by Bleacher Fan.
The “closer” voter takes into account the most recent performances by a Heisman candidate, especially the final game before the vote is due. That perspective is captured in Loyal Homer’s argument.
I represent the third type of voter, the “career” voter. The career voter has two primary factors that influence the final voting decision. First, has the Heisman candidate had a good enough season to be a legitimate, unquestioned winner of the award? If the answer to that question is yes, the second factor considered is the entire career of the player. Did the player play four seasons? Did he start all four seasons? Did he perform well in all four seasons? Does the player have a lasting legacy on the game beyond single season stats? Has the player ever won before?
Each question is important. In the case of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, each one has a good answer. In the 2009 Heisman Trophy race, the career voter casts a ballot for Colt McCoy.
A good career builds inescapable momentum. As I detailed in an article last August, Colt McCoy has had a Heisman Trophy quality career. His career is why I originally gave him the nod as the player with the inside track to the Heisman before the season began.
And, let’s also not forget that McCoy has been outstanding of late, with a performance in a rivalry game on Thanksgiving Day that inspired one of my esteemed colleagues to anoint him the winner of the Thanksgiving Football Feast and Heisman front runner.
An outstanding few performance gets noticed by the career voter, but it is not the primary factor. Consider the Ron Dayne factor. Dayne was not even thought about for the Heisman Trophy before his senior season in 1999. He was considered then primarily because he had amassed career records that were deserving of recognition. Because college football does not have an award for the best four year player in the sport (a reward I believe college football should have), Dayne was nominated for and won the Heisman Trophy in 1999.
While the comparisons to Dayne and McCoy make sense to a degree, McCoy is in even better position than Dayne ever was he has been considered for the award before. McCoy’s 2009 candidacy is building on a career of momentum like Dayne, but Dayne never received recognition for his work until his senior season. Even more than Dayne, voters must have a sense that McCoy is deserving.
Voters love to reward a player who has shown exemplary skills throughout a career. Dayne, Tim Brown – I could list a bunch of names. But, voters especially love to reward these players for the first time. McCoy deserves to win not just because of his great 2009 season but because of his outstanding and record-setting career. He deserves to win because he has never won before, unlike Tebow. Also, one game does not make a big difference in one direction or another to the career votes, so the poor clock management from the 2009 Big XII championship game should not be taken heavily into account.
What makes McCoy so impressive is the level of consistency he performed with over the course of an impressive career. It is true that the final game before Heisman ballots are due in 2009 was a bit of a dud statistically. McCoy ran for a touchdown, but threw no touchdowns and three interceptions and under 200 yards. However, the career voter gives the nod to McCoy because of the leadership on the last drive of the game to get the team into position to kick a game winning field goal. The career voter analyzes the 27 touchdowns on the season and the more than 3,500 yards passing. Also, 13,244 yards passing for a career, plus 112 touchdowns, is not too bad, either.
Colt McCoy is the college player who has not only earned the Heisman this season, he is also the player that most deserves it. McCoy finished second in 2008, though his total points would have earned him the Heisman in the previous eight seasons. McCoy deserves the Heisman in 2009 because of an outstanding career rivaled by few.
This shows a lack of depth and a lack of understanding for this year. What is happening this year? Suh has burned an image of amazing play on the defensive side of the ball into people’s minds. He’s defying the typical voting types. Your vote has diminished value this year and I encourage you to change it.
You probably did not get a chance to watch Suh (heart of reason why Heisman is such a difficult award to give), but if you had you’d realize that he fundamentally changed the way you watched football. Nearly every play, you no longer watched the ball, but instead were caught watching a defensive tackle? Why? Because in every game he played, he was the most outstanding player. By seasons end, he had become the most outstanding player in the country.
Thanks for the comment, Brian.
I definitely to not lack understanding of what happened over the course of the season. I think that defensive players have a very difficult time with the Heisman vote because college football in general is such an offense-focused sport. For example, who is the most recent defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy? Charles Woodson in 1997. Who is the only other defensive player to win the Heisman? Well, Ernie Davis from Syracuse in 1961, I suppose. But, he was also the halfback and fullback, and only played a bit of linebacker. He won not for his defensive prowess, but for his offensive impact.
Woodson broke a defensive barrier for the Heisman trophy. But, he also recorded enough offensive statistics to put him into the national conversation. For example, in 1997 he returned one punt for a touchdown, recorded one rushing touchdown, and caught two passes for touchdowns. Though he was a defensive player first (see the eight interceptions in 1997), it was his ability to make an impact on offense that vaulted him to the head of the pack.
While Suh has technically played some offense (blocking in goal line situations) he is not the prototypical player than Heisman voters go gaga over. He has been impressive, and played BIG TIME in the team’s most important games. However, the profile of a defensive tackle is automatically low, so it is hard to get recognition for this award as a result. Defensive tackle just isn’t sexy enough. Ask Steve Emtman.
The final point I will make is that McCoy will also be splitting votes with Suh from their regional voting pool, making it virtually impossible to win and even unlikely to get an invite to New York (though I believe he deserves an invite more than Tebow).
I agree that he is an incredibly talented player who does change how a fan watched a game. No argument here. If I were Suh, I’d have an eye on draft day.
I agree….it’s just too hard to gain the spotlight in terms of Heisman when discussing defensive players.
Apparently though, there are a lot of people like you Brian, since Suh has received an invitation to New York. Good call!